Four-hundred lucky fans and Canadian Music Week wristband holders will have an exclusive opportunity to see British hip hop sensation M.I.A. in an intimate setting when the artist takes the stage at Tattoo Queen West on Saturday, May 3rd for a special CMW kickoff event.

Due to unforeseen logistical issues, the show has been relocated from Yonge-Dundas Square to Tattoo Queen West in Toronto's trendy downtown core. Admission to the event will remain free.

Following M.I.A.'s special invitation to fans today on Facebook; on Wednesday, April 30th at 6pm, 200 wristbands will be given out at Tattoo Queen West (567 Queen Street West). The wristbands will allow front-of-line access to the event. All attendees must be 19 years of age or older (must bring valid ID for pick-up), one wristband per person, wristbands are non-transferable.

Beginning at noon on Thursday, May 1st, an additional 200 CMW wristband holders will also be granted access to the event via the CMW Concert Lottery. For further details and to RSVP, visit: http://cmw.net/music/concert-lottery/. All attendees must be 19 years of age or older (must bring valid ID for pick-up), one wristband per person, wristbands are non-transferable.

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known by her stage name M.I.A., boasts an ever-growing list of accolades that includes an Academy Award nomination and two Grammy Awards. Her recently released fourth album, Matangi, delivered one of her most successful singles to date in "Bad Girls" and placed on the year-end lists of NME, Pitchfork Media and Time. Embarking on a tour of the United States, Canada and the UK as of April 25th in support of the album, this CMW appearance will be M.I.A.'s only Toronto date.

Joining M.I.A. at the special kickoff event will be Swedish MC/producer Elliphant. Hailed by Pitchfork for her "chants and taunts and teases in a perfect approximation of a genre-appropriate brogue..." Elliphant is fresh off of the release of her new EP, Look Like You Love It (Mad Decent, April 1st).

ABOUT CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK:

Canadian Music Week is Canada's leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country's music, media and entertainment industries. Combining three information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; a comedy festival; four awards shows, and the nation's largest new music festival, CMW spans a five-day period from May 6 to May 10, 2014 at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel and over 60 downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net.

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